First case of successful usage of a low-profile flow-diverting stent for treatment of intracranial infectious aneurysm in patient with a mechanical heart valve. Clinical case and literature review

Abstract

Infectious aneurysms (IA) are cerebral aneurysms that are formed due to the infectious inflammation of the arterial wall. They are a rather rare pathology and in most cases prove to be a complication of infectious (bacterial) endocarditis of the left heart chambers. Timely diagnosis of IA in the pre-hemorrhagic period is problematic due to the variability of the clinical picture of IA, frequent blurred or low-symptomatic clinical course, the possibility of IA formation in the remote period after septic embolism, even despite the background of antibiotic therapy. The presented clinical case illustrates the first successful use of a low-profile flow-diverting stent for the treatment of a young patient with a mechanical heart valve and an infectious aneurysm of the left middle cerebral artery, developed at the site of septic embolism in the acute period of septic bacterial endocarditis accompanied by ischemic stroke. This observation demonstrates the effectiveness of the chosen method of treatment, peculiarities of adequate preoperative preparation, possible postoperative complications and detailed correction of anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapy.